Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-01
STAGE SCANDALS.
How They Have Affected the Popularity
OF PIayers-The Case OF Dion
B0UcicauIt.
Violet Cameron, Lillian Russell, Fredena
DC BclievilIe-Da ally to do the Mid
summer Nights Dream

Correspondence Of the Gazette.
NEW YORK, July PSI was talking
with friend of Boucicault's the other
day, and the bad business which that
clever play wright and acter has done in
New York during his past two or three
engagements vas spoken Of and wa5 COM
mented on. | was inclined 20 attribute
| it partly 10 the fact that M. & jucicault
had offered nothing neW to the public
save Fin McCool, which vas Belle Lamir
warmed over, and partly to the circum-
stance of his playing at the Star theater,
q handsome house certainly, but no longer
on q central location. Outside of stars
ike Irving, Bernhardt, Wilson Barrett,
Lawrence Barrett and Edwin Booth, there
heve been few theatrical attractions IN
this theiter of late years which have
drawn audiences numerous enough TO be
profitable.
"You are wrong" said Mr.. Bouci-
cault's friend. "PeoDle stay away from
Mr.. BouciCaUit'3 performance because
they condemn his conduct towards hls
wife, Agnes Robertson. There were
faults on both sides, but Boucicault puts
his second wife on the stage with him
and iaunts his eccentric domestic life il
the face OF the public. And the public
won't have it, Mr.. Boucicault comes
forward as an artist and solely as an art
ist should be judged. That Is my idea Of
It. But the public jddge him &s an artist
and as q man. And his business suffers
, il the way you see. know 81! about his
business aud this i5 g simple statement of
fact. And 1t is for this reason chiefly thai
Mr.. R0uCiCault, who in 1915 played the
Snaugran at WHIST is now the Star Theater
10 the largest receipts st regular prices
ever known in New York-they were
something like 100000 in 175 perform
ances-comes back il 1887 to the same
house and does not play in g whole week
TO the money which in 1875 was taken at
the doors for single performance"
The speakers statement YVES certainly
suggestive one. 1t opened up very
Interesting line of inquiry sId il Q
direction where the fact would seem
plentiful enough to supply material for
Judgment. Where the domestic life OF
an actor or actress is known, what efsCs
does It's good or lis bad character have
On the popularity OF the player? Does
, scandal help or does it hurt business!
In BoUcicaulL's case It seems to have had
8 pretty demorQliZing eject. But how
ajout other cages? How about Bernhard
: with her petits sccidents? How about
u Mrs Langtry and the endless stories Of
Freddie Gebhard'3 wandering in hel
5, wete? How ebOut Lillian R1sseu WIKI
ran away with the musician Solomon
= and from whom her first husband, JOhI
IS J. Broha1n, secured q divorce, mainly OF
.e the score Of this ai0pement? How abOU
= pretty Sadie MARITIME, now in Paris, Whi
,r used 10 keep scandals tongue busy
& How about dozen other stage beautie
II whose private lives have furnished hun
5, dreds Of spicy and picturesque ps:a
III graphs OF the kind that seryile UniOi
4 Club men are wort TO pass around sn(
n discuss in the morning room Of the Gu
:. While inspecting the dainty beauties VIII
paas the clun house windows? TIL
= stories, the bon mOts, the lnnuendOS an
Ftae what not which have been circulated
e Icopcerning these Well-kuown player
x8does not seem to have affected thei
Ea popularity or TO have diminished thei
g power OF drawing money TO the box Office
a How is this?
B Is, Welt, twill be noticed on glancin
= f5Fsfthe names just quoted that they ar
all the names CT women. And the geneI
aLzation may be made at once that tn
IL theatre going public, which IS shocked d
- MIR. BoucciCault and punish him by leaN
inc him alone, ere leIient with the ger
- tier sinner and overlook any little pecul
X iaristies which may mark her life 0
the stage. Lillian Russell may III
a. wsy with her favorite composer, with
he husband already in Boston, may retur
with her later ore and bring the bab
~ with her, then she may give Mr.. Sole
- mon $500 to leave her forever and for
[. ever, and she is still popular with tt
Z great public. A. least Of Mr.. ArOnsC
of the Casino thinks so, as he is consid
\ ering very seriously the question OF max
8 ing her handsome offer 10 join the e!
2 sinO forces. Bat let on sctor treat Il
wife as Mrs. Brolam was treated, or K
the public think he is dong so, and Il
public expresses its disepprobation with
force and a directness that cannot
mistaken. Several years ego De Bell
vile, Iwho is pretty widely know
through the country IS an actor OF abb
itv, got into some trouble with his wifi
and from the accounts tha1 were fir
printed it appears that Mrs. De Bell
vile had been treated in
peculiarly cruel and shameful ms
ner. Later on, Mrs. De Belleyil
was made correspondent in q suit Il
. divorce brought by Mrs. Vanderb
H Allen against her spouse Fanderb
Allen, yourg man about town, and
the score Of his relations with Edith
Belleville the divorce was granted. B
this light on the situation Was rot sh
until long after Ter difficulties with
Belleville had been ventilated, and
this affair the public were enthusiast
~ ally on her side De BelleVille fou
- things very warm indeed. He had do
excellent work in Les R2ntsans by &c
mann ChatraiD, ard as Clifford Armyts
. in the Lights of London, but the indigr
"a ton of the theatrical press was
Ss strong, and De Belleville had to ret
N' for time Mr.. Palmer was sorry to L
so good an artist, but he WAS constrain
il remember rightly, to refuse him
,rou engagement for the following season.
nesi SO much for the actors. but as for
,0n actresses, believe l am quite safe
. L saying that il no case except one,
I tae any scandal touching their private Ii
~ affected them in financial way. ]
maj exception which proves the rule was
-:-e!y cese Of Violet Cameron. She came o
:, ne re-. here with her opera company and "
Ks. Lord Lonsdale as her manager. a I
live English Lord passing as mana
free attracted attention naturally, and bees
Sa he did SO the public and the press jun
L.